Hey, Broward: You've Probably Got Syphilis

Hiya, Broward, how goes it? Good, good. End of summer treating you right? Great, glad to hear. Look, thanks for coming today, but I've gotta lay something heavy on you. This is a touchy one to talk about, but listen: Next time you're in the shower, you need to, um, inspect your private parts. Whoa, don't get insulted. It's just that, well, Broward, you've got the highest rate of syphilis in the entire state of Florida, and it's time someone did something about it.

How high? How about a 400 percent increase since 2000. Alarming, no? Exactly; I thought you'd agree with me here.

"While Broward County has the highest rate of syphilis in the state of Florida, the good news is that syphilis is a curable disease -- one best caught and treated early," AHF's Albert Ruiz told Business Wire. "We encourage any sexually active individual who feels that they may be at risk to come in and get tested and, if necessary, treated."

Sadder still: Incidents of syphilis are also starting to show up more in newborns. Back in July, the Sun Sentinel reported 21 babies were born with syphilis in Broward and Miami-Dade in 2012, up from 17 in 2011. Fifteen of the 2012 share were in Broward; at the time of the report, doctors had already found six Broward 2013 newborns with the disease.